APT Incheon Station | Korea National Cup sets a record with 709 player visits; Ivan Govorov leads and Yutao Zheng is third.

On August 7, 2026, the third stop of the 20th anniversary season of the Asian Poker Tour (APT) officially kicked off at the Paradise City Casino Resort in Incheon, South Korea. APT Incheon 2026 will run until August 16, featuring 106 tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool of over 4 billion Korean won. The main event, the APT Main Event, will be held from August 9 to 15, with a buy-in of 2.5 million Korean won and a guaranteed prize pool of 1.5 billion Korean won.

The opening day was dominated by the Korea National Cup, a tournament with a buy-in of 700,000 Korean won. The three starting combinations attracted 709 entries from 28 countries and regions, resulting in a prize pool of 409,459,411 Korean won. Both the number of participants and the prize pool surpassed the previous edition, setting a new record for this event at an APT event.

101 players successfully advanced to the final day from the three starting groups and have all made it into the money. Ivan Govorov, the 2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event champion, is now the chip leader with 827,000 chips, while Chinese player Yutao Zheng is ranked third overall with 610,000 chips.

The Korea National Cup has attracted 709 entries, with the prize pool exceeding 400 million won.

This year's Korea National Cup had a guaranteed prize pool of 200 million won, but it broke the guarantee in Flight B stage alone, with the final prize pool reaching 409,459,411 won.

The tournament rules stipulate that the top 141 players in each starting group (TP3T) will advance to the final day and directly enter the prize pool. The 101 qualifiers have already secured at least 1,110,000 KRW, while the champion will receive 78,109,411 KRW.

Flight A: Jeerasak Khumchanthuek leads with 626,000.

Flight A started at 11:00 a.m. local time and attracted 236 participants. After 20 25-minute levels, 34 players completed their bagging.

Thai player Jeerasak Khumchanthuek became the chip leader in Group A with 626,000 chips, and also ranked second on the overall leaderboard on the final day.

Mongolian player Tuguldur Gantumur is ranked second in Group A with 552,000 points, while Japanese female player Haruna Matsumoto is ranked third with 438,000 points. Matsumoto also has the most chips in the final diary for the female player, and is currently ranked eighth overall.

Flight B: Former APT Main Event Champion Ivan Govorov Takes Over Overall Leaderboard

Flight B became the largest of the three starting groups, with a total of 307 participants and 43 players successfully advancing.

All eyes were on Russian player Ivan Govorov. The 2025 APT Manila Classic Main Event champion steadily built chips through 20 20-minute levels, eventually bagging 827,000 chips to not only lead Flight B but also become the chip leader on the final day.

Govorov previously broke through a field of 1,202 players in the 2025 Manila Main Event, defeating his opponent heads-up to win the title. Now returning to the APT tables, he has a significant head start in his quest for his second APT title.

American Frank Zhang is second in Flight B with 600,000 chips, while Thailand's Anucha Muandech is third with 480,000 chips.

Yutao Zheng leads Turbo Flight C, rising to third place overall.

The evening Turbo Flight C attracted 166 participants, using 21 15-minute fast classes, with only 24 people successfully advancing.

Chinese player Yutao Zheng bagged his bag with 610,000 chips, making him the only player in his group to surpass 500,000 chips, and advancing to the final day as the third-ranked player overall.

Japanese player Ryouma Yamanaka ranked second with 422,000 points, while Phuong Ngoc Nguyen ranked third with 343,000 points.

**Data Correction:** The original title described Yutao Zheng as "leading Group B," but the official APT schedule and text reports show that Ivan Govorov is the chip leader in Flight B, while Yutao Zheng is leading Turbo Flight C; this article is based on the official APT results.

Top 10 of the Korea Cup Final Day

In addition to Yutao Zheng, Chinese player Xiang Liu also entered the top ten of the overall leaderboard with 425,000 chips, ranking ninth.

Maxim Sorokin wins the opening day's high roller event.

While the Korea National Cup was in full swing, several side events on the first day of the APT Incheon event also saw champions emerge.

The Event #3 Single Day High Roller, with a buy-in of 3 million Korean won, attracted 34 entries, creating a prize pool of approximately 88 million Korean won. Russian player Maxim Sorokin ultimately emerged victorious, taking home the 32,608,000 Korean won first prize.

Top 5 Single Day High Rollers

Daniil Shalaev wins his eighth APT championship

Event #2 PL Omaha 5 Card – Hi-Lo (Big O) was won by Russian player Daniil Shalaev.

The game had a buy-in of 700,000 Korean won, attracting 32 participants and creating a prize pool of approximately 18 million Korean won. Shalaev ultimately won 6,149,538 Korean won, securing his eighth APT championship trophy.

On the opening day, multiple competitions simultaneously produced champions.

In addition to the two events mentioned above, several other events were completed on the opening day of the APT Incheon event, including Mixed Games, Omaha, and Speed Race.

101 players will compete for the national cup title, with the main tournament about to begin.

The Korea National Cup finals resumed at 11:15 a.m. on August 8, with 101 players battling it out to determine the champion. Ivan Govorov started first with 827,000 chips, followed closely by Jeerasak Khumchanthuek and Yutao Zheng.

After the Nations Cup crowns its champion, the intensity of the APT Incheon event will rise even higher. The Natural8-sponsored Mystery Bounty Hunter began on August 8th, followed by the APT Main Event with a 1.5 billion won guarantee and the APT Super High Roller with a 500 million won guarantee on August 9th.

Starting with a new record of 709 entries for the Korea National Cup, the APT Incheon event has quickly heated up since its opening day. The focus now shifts to whether Ivan Govorov can convert his chip lead into a second APT title, and whether Chinese players like Yutao Zheng and Xiang Liu can continue their pursuit of the trophy on final day.

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